A desert-scheme Wellington with blue undersurfaces

[KRK4m]

I used to see it, but I don't remember where. A Wellington Mk.1c from the MTO (rather still Africa) with the lower surfaces in Blue (perhaps Azure) - not Night.

Interestingly, the demarcation line ran low, as in the UK-based machines in 1939. Does anyone remember such a phenomenon?

Cheers

Michael

[brewerjerry]

Hi

    Sounds vaguely familiar, as is also a three colour upper surface wellington

       but sorry I can't help with a source photo 

   cheers

     jerry 

[stevehnz]

Just the sort of question for Tony O'toole, alas, not this time. I know Tony did build a TSS/Azure ASR Wellington a while ago, but I can't recall ever having seen a Desert scheme over Azure one. I'd be keen to see same.

Steve.

[brewerjerry]

Hi

     would this be the thread ? 

 

     it  has a possible wellington photo candidate 

 

        cheers

           jerry 

 

 

 

[KRK4m]

While penetrating the MTO Wellington pictures you can meet this photo of a J for Johnny from No. 458 Sq. RAAF  http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/458-Wellington/MEC2658

Does she wear the low-demarcation TSS over Azure Blue like this one https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C337186 or is this some bizzare scheme e.g. Azure belly superimposed over the Night undersurfaces to the TLS or DE/MS topsides camo?

Note that the aircraft still has guns in forward turret, so (presumably) it's neither the trainer nor the transport plane.

Cheers

Michael

[Chuck1945]

28 minutes ago, KRK4m said:

While penetrating the MTO Wellington pictures you can meet this photo of a J for Johnny from No. 458 Sq. RAAF  http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/458-Wellington/MEC2658

Does she wear the low-demarcation TSS over Azure Blue like this one https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C337186 or is this some bizzare scheme e.g. Azure belly superimposed over the Night undersurfaces to the TLS or DE/MS topsides camo?

Note that the aircraft still has guns in forward turret, so (presumably) it's neither the trainer nor the transport plane.

Cheers

Michael

The first link appears to be broken

[KRK4m]

Thank you, Chuck

Try this http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/picture.php?/MEC2658/category/album-458-wellington

Cheers

Michael

[Old Man]

4 hours ago, KRK4m said:

While penetrating the MTO Wellington pictures you can meet this photo of a J for Johnny from No. 458 Sq. RAAF  http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/458-Wellington/MEC2658

Does she wear the low-demarcation TSS over Azure Blue like this one https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C337186 or is this some bizzare scheme e.g. Azure belly superimposed over the Night undersurfaces to the TLS or DE/MS topsides camo?

Note that the aircraft still has guns in forward turret, so (presumably) it's neither the trainer nor the transport plane.

Cheers

Michael

 

Perhaps, Sir, this is simply shadow on the uppersurface colors, given a crisp edge by stringer for most of the picture?

 

[KRK4m]

My brother @JWM yesterday found this colorful profile that I had seen somewhere. He took a photo and sent me an MMS - a Wimpey Mk.Ic with a red code letter Z and an illegible serial is published in the AJ Press book "Africa 1940-42" by Krzysztof Janewicz. Of course, the author knows Troy Smith's principle "never believe a profile without a photo" and attached a photo next to it captioned "Wellington from one of the 4 squadrons supporting Operation Crusader in December 1941". But after all, in 1941, the Desert Scheme could be combined with light undersurfaces only in fighters, day bombers and transports - night bombers were to have a Night bottom. And Wellington has not been a day bomber since 1940.

So today I started digging into the IWM photo archive. And bingo! I found the same photo (IWM CM 2940). But in the IWM the caption says "Wellington Ic serial Z9027 coded Z from the ASR flight before take-off from Bir El Beheira". Now I understand the light undersurfaces (probably Sky) with a low demarcation line and the lack of guns in the nose turret. A new rule appears to me: "never believe a caption to the photo until you find the original".
But the question remains: how were the uppersurfaces of ASR aircraft painted in Egypt in 1941? Desert, Temperate Sea, or maybe Tropical Sea? In the well-known photo of Fairchild 91 flying in close formation with the Wellington coded X from the ASR flight at El Qassasin (IWM ME/RAF/5889), the two uppersurface colours are relatively bright and strongly contrasted - they absolutely do not look like a DSG/EDSG set.

Cheers

Michael